Fairing aka Wind Deflector for van mounted solar panels & panel recommended panel gap

[Harmony5000]

Hi all, researching wind deflectors for solar panels mounted on van roof. Have any of you found solutions you are happy with?

Also in my research it has been mentioned a 1” gap between panels is recommended to help heat beneath panels escape. I think that might be suggested for large home panel arrays? I wonder if there’s much of a difference for just the few you’d put on the top of a vehicle. I’ll be installing 6.

There is nothing on the market that looks really good as far as off the shelf products so will be building them. I’ll try to keep this updated after install.

If anyone feels completely safe driving at highway speeds without a deflector I did just read a report on another forum where a member was driving through Utah and their front panel completely ripped through the aluminum framing and smashed to bits. The z brackets remained intact attached to the roof.

As far as easy solutions - someone said simply putting a noodle like the big foam water toy on the front panel helps. That might just be with noise not sure. Seems like the frame beneath each panel can easily grab air.

Other solutions I read involve cutting cardboard to fit the top of the vehicle >to> the first panel then taking that to a metal shop (sheet metal) or place to cut plexiglass basically using it as a stencil.

Someone also mention after the deflector there is negative air pressure above the first panel (pushing down upon the first panel) which can also be a problem if I read it right. But idk? I think I’d rather have them push down to the vehicle the fly up over and smash like the story mentioned.

Thoughts?

 

[timselectric]

A deflector is highly recommended.
Anything would work (including the pool noodle), as long as it stays in place.
Air gap is helpful while stationary. Heat will get trapped under panels that are mounted laying flat.

 

[Harmony5000]

A deflector is highly recommended.
Anything would work (including the pool noodle), as long as it stays in place.
Air gap is helpful while stationary. Heat will get trapped under panels that are mounted laying flat.

Did you find a solution you prefer? It would seem to me the noodle thing you still get a high rate of wind and elements like rain hitting the wires while driving.

 

[timselectric]

I would look to the aftermarket to find something already designed for your van. Look at roof rack manufacturers. A lot of them also have wind deflectors. Maybe one could be easily adapted for your use.

 

[Harmony5000]

Here’s how one person did it
https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/building-a-roof-rack-mounted-wind-fairing-for-the-travato/

 

[timselectric]

Looks great. Just depends on how comfortable you are with full on custom work.

 

[HRTKD]

For my install, a fairing would be one more thing to build that could fail. I specifically chose panels with a high wind rating. I do a lot of travelling through Wyoming which is known for having some high winds. After a few thousand miles my panels are solidly intact.

As far as spacing goes, I could see where an inch or two would help dissipate heat when the panels are mounted flat.

 

[Harmony5000]

For my install, a fairing would be one more thing to build that could fail. I specifically chose panels with a high wind rating. I do a lot of travelling through Wyoming which is known for having some high winds. After a few thousand miles my panels are solidly intact.

As far as spacing goes, I could see where an inch or two would help dissipate heat when the panels are mounted flat.

Would mounting with a brackets or something else to lift the panels from the roof an inch or two be considered flat?

 

[timselectric]

Yes,
Still has the ability to trap heat inside the Frame, while stationary.

 

[HRTKD]

Would mounting with a brackets or something else to lift the panels from the roof an inch or two be considered flat?

Around here, when we say panels are mounted flat, we mean horizontal with very little angle. Most RV's have some slope on the roof, but not enough to call it not flat.

All traditional PV panels should be elevate above the mounting surface. Only flexible panels tend to get mounted directly on a roof with no elevation.